A DOCKSIDE warehouse development costing about £30m will create 450 jobs on Teesside.

Teesport owners PD Ports announced a joint venture to develop an import and distribution centre at the mouth of the River Tees.

It was originally thought it would be a £20m project and employ about 200. Yesterday, it was confirmed that the project would be larger than originally planned.

A planning application has been submitted by European logistics developer, Gazeley, to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

The application is expected to be determined by a planning committee in the spring.

The project will create up to 508,300sq ft of dockside warehouse accommodation in up to three phases of construction.

The first phase will provide 254,000sq ft, with further expansion planned.

David Robinson, managing director of PD Teesport, said: "This is a significant step forward for PD Teesport.

"It further illustrates the drive to develop Teesport as the new gateway for container traffic into the UK.

"Significant areas of brownfield land remain available at the port and we are delighted Gazeley is the first developer to establish an import centre at Teesport."

Robin Woodbridge, development director for logistics warehousing group Gazeley, said: "With the continued growth of general merchandising sales and the increase of imports, such as clothing from the Far East, we are seeing a definite surge in demand for dockside warehousing.

"We envisage a great amount of interest in this new venture with PD Teesport."

If the project is approved by the council, it is hoped construction will start in late spring.

Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland MP Ashok Kumar pressed PD Port's case during a House of Commons adjournment debate earlier this week.